April 1, 2013

Four New Drawings


#13, egg tempera and graphite on hand toned paper, 15 x 15 in. 


My understanding of the possibilities in this series of works based on sacred design keeps expanding. (To read about how I started this group of drawings, go to this blog post.) From a book on Sacred Geometry, I found that the pattern of six circles around one yielded a large hexagon; I'd been finding only smaller shapes before. In these works I've become very interested in the effects of transparency: since egg tempera is a translucent paint, it is easy to layer colors, showing the effects of one color atop another.  

#13 detail


Because the ground color is such a strong blue, it shows through the light pink painted on top. I painted several layers until I was happy with the degree of translucence. I used cross hatched strokes for more control. After the pink, I painted the yellow triangle, and lastly the green.


#14, egg tempera and graphite on hand toned paper, 15 x 15 in. 


The mood of this piece is very different from the one above, as small curved triangles surround a center. I had a hard time getting the color right on the dark shapes; originally the color––I was using caput mortuum––seemed too blue-gray. 


#14 detail


After several layers of cadmium dark reds, the color was richer and closer to what I was after. You can see the sheen that results from the layering of the egg tempera, and see something of the texture of this rough handmade watercolor paper by Twinrocker. I chose to have the central shape translucent, so the foundation drawing shows through the paint. I love the contrast of surfaces, from the gelatin-toned paper, to the thick tempera, and then to the thinner paint.


#15, egg tempera and graphite on hand toned paper, 15 x 15 in. 


I really enjoy toning the papers I will use, trying different colors and densities. Most of the papers are strongly saturated, so I thought I'd make one that was light and transparent. And with that, light shapes surrounding a somewhat darker center.


#16, egg tempera and graphite on hand toned paper, 15 x 15 in. 


Smaller hexagons are found within the initial pattern. Here, again playing with the translucence of paint: blue over yellow, and yellow over blue, each yielding a triangle of different yet related colors. Working on this series continues to be a joy, as I discover shapes and patterns within the sacred design, and have freedom to revel in color.


8 comments:

  1. I love these. #13 is very special.

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  2. I like the way you can still see the pencil circles underneath. I used your circles around a circle with my 12-year-old private student to make a color wheel with overlapping section that made new colors - using colored pencils. She loved using the compass, and coloring in the circles.

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    1. Amy, how wonderful that you used this pattern to teach color; it's perfect.

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  3. I first viewed this post on a small phone screen, and when I eventually scrolled #16 onto the screen, the layers of colors just popped out. Your descriptions of your process are very helpful for a non-artist. I can understand why this series would be such a satisfying undertaking.

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    1. thanks, P.D.; I'm glad my process descriptions are interesting.

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  4. I too think these are wonderful. Their integration, their sense of completion, contained-ness, makes them very meditative to me.

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    1. Thank you Julie; they are meditative to work on.

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